Two farms were ground zero for the pipeline break five months ago that prompted 150 neighboring property owners to file suit against the West Shore Pipe Line Company.

The owner of one farm, John Fenton, didn't join the suit because he said they're still weighing their options and wondering if they'll ever have a permanent supply of clean drinking water.

Fenton said his greatest joys, his grandchildren, are visiting again now that the initial safety scare is over.

"But even then, you know, it's, 'Guys, you can't drink the water, and you can't do this, you can't do that,'" Fenton said he tells his grandchildren. "You know, things from a day to day basis never enter your mind."

The lawyers for the families who have sued issued a statement Monday reading, in part, "The homeowners are asking for compensation for their losses, including the establishment of a medical monitoring fund to provide access to early cancer screening and punitive damages against the defendants to serve as a deterrent against conduct that caused the pipeline to rupture."

A spokesman for West Shore Pipe Line talked with WISN over the phone.

"Per company policy, we do not comment on ongoing litigation," the spokesman said. "As we have said throughout this process, we remain focused on the successful remediation of the spill and working with local and state authorities on a long-term solution to the water needs of the community."

So, the Fentons are facing the possibility of not being able to drink the water out of their faucets for a long time, possibly years.

"I want to know I have safe water for the next 20 years," Fenton said. "If you want that, that says you've got to pipe water in, and it seems like a large group of people in the town don't want that kind of water."

West Shore Pipe Line said they've been given until the end of the year by the government to consider three options for providing a replacement supply of drinking water to the area, but none will be quick fixes.

The Fentons will be drinking and cooking with bottled water possibly for years to come, and the contamination on a neighboring property was so severe the family there has no plans to ever return.